Too often, medical doctors are portrayed as the bad guys in the birthing world. In truth, there is a lot we don't see and which they really can't talk about. We are excited to share this guest post today from Jessicca Moore, a family nurse practitioner and filmmaker in Petaluma, CA. Jessica is currently raising money to help finish a film all about medical personnel who birth at home. (There are more of them than you would think!) You can read more about her film, "Why Not Home?", on their website. Her words are wise and incredibly helpful. Happy birthing!

If you’re planning a hospital birth in the US, you’re likely seeing an OB/GYN. Some of you are seeing a family doctor or a certified-nurse-midwife (CNM) who will attend you at the hospital.

Doctors and nurses are trained not to impose their own values and beliefs onto their patients. To the woman who says she doesn’t want to feel any pain during labor and wants an epidural as soon as possible, our training tells us to accept this as her choice and support her in it. To the woman who says she wants an unmedicated natural labor, our training tells us to accept and support this choice as equally valid.

Your provider is supposed to maintain some professional distance and remain unbiased toward her patients. Because of this, she likely won’t tell you about how difficult her recovery from her c-section was and how she couldn’t pick up her toddler for weeks.

She won’t tell you about the intense rush of emotion and joy that came over her when she gave birth to her daughter after a long 30 hour unmedicated vaginal birth. If she did, you might feel like you should do it the way she did, or do it differently, depending on her story.

In your 10-15 minute visits, it can be hard to delve deeply into all the possible risks and benefits of each decision, the research, and your personal values and preferences. Even if you did, the chances that that provider is going to be the one attending your birth are pretty slim.

So much of birth is out of your control. Once you’re in labor, things can go any number of ways.

If you want to have a natural birth, here are some things you can do to stack the deck in your favor.

Get prepared. There are lots of great childbirth preparation programs out there. Try a few and see what fits. Knowledge is power when it comes to birth.

Read birth stories. Positive ones. Listen to your friends who had great births. Focus on those. Your birth can be great too.

Get support. Hire a doula. Don’t think you can afford one? Call and talk to a few. You may be surprised. If you can’t get a doula, ask friend who has experienced birth and knows your plan to be there to support and advocate for you. Your partner will be having their own experience. Don’t rely on them to be everything for you.

Get informed. What is your hospital’s c-section rate? Trying for a VBAC? What’s the VBAC success rate at your hospital? Birth by the Numbers has a great site for getting this information. www.birthbythenumbers.org

Take care. Rest. Eat well. Stay active. Try prenatal yoga. You’ll be that much better off entering labor if your body is strong and healthy.

Do all that, and then let go. Birth is big. Birth is beautiful. There’s no one right way to do it.

You are powerful. You are capable. You can do it.

If and when you need help, it will be there for you.

No one can tell you how it will go for you.

You and your baby are starting your journey together. You’ll have your own unique experience.

Your doctor may have seen hundreds or thousands of births, but they’ve never seen yours.

Jessicca Moore is a family nurse practitioner and filmmaker in Petaluma, CA where she lives with her husband, two children, and two sheep. She is currently in production on her first feature-length documentary, “Why Not Home?” The film follows hospital birth providers who chose to give birth at home. You can watch a trailer and get more information here: www.whynothome.com and support the project on kickstarter at bit.ly/whynothome through October 10th.

Today we want you to meet Rebecca, a natural childbirth teacher in Mansfield, TX. We love our instructors and all the talents they bring to our company as a whole. If you would like to become a childbirth educator, we would love to have you at training! The process is a big one but well worth the effort. You can find more information about becoming a Birth Boot Camp childbirth educator here.

First, could you introduce yourself? Tell us a little bit about your own birth experiences and how they influenced your desire to teach childbirth classes?

My name is Rebecca Grochowski and I am a stay at home mom in addition to teaching Birth Boot Camp. I am married to an amazingly supportive husband who is a bit of a birth junkie himself (though he may not admit it)! I have one beautiful daughte

r named Emma who is 2.5 years old and I’m currently pregnant again. When I was thinking about getting pregnant initially, a church friend had just had a natural birth with a doula. I didn’t even know what a doula was at the time!

I did some research and called her just to chat about preparing for pregnancy, etc. She told me to watch the Business of Being Born. As soon as my husband got home from work that day, we sat down to watch it. That was all it took and I knew I would have a natural birth! We hired a doula and took comprehensive childbirth classes. I had my daughter at Harris Methodist Fort Worth with the UNT Midwives. My awesome husband caught our daughter and it was the best experience of our lives! I feel that my natural birth also allowed us to have a wonderful start to breastfeeding and a very successful breastfeeding experience. After Emma’s birth, I couldn’t get enough information. I loved reading birth books and watching birth videos. That’s when I decided to take my passion to the next level. I applied to be a Birth Boot Camp Instructor and the rest is history. I am really looking forward to the home birth of our next baby sometime in January!

What first got you interested in childbirth?

I have actually always been interested in birth. From the time I was in sixth grade, I decided I wanted to be an OB/GYN. Throughout my later high school years, I actually interned with a local OB/GYN and witnessed several births, including scheduled cesarean sections. I loved it at the time and never really thought anything of it.

Obviously, my life took a different direction which I am very thankful for. It wasn’t until watching the Business of Being Born that I realized that the medical view of birth was not “normal”. After learning more and personally experiencing natural childbirth, I couldn’t wait to share the knowledge!

What are your particular passions concerning birth?

My passion is teaching women that their bodies are made to birth babies. I believe that God made women to birth babies and breastfeed. Our bodies know exactly what to do and they should be allowed to do it. This is true for low risk, healthy moms which make up the majority of pregnant women in our country. Obviously, we live in a very medical, convenience based culture which has led to the high rates of induction and c-sections. It seems from the outside that women have so many choices, which is great. The bad thing is that many women don’t realize that they don’t have to be induced at 39 weeks for no medical reason or that a breech baby doesn’t have to automatically mean a cesarean. I love educating moms and dads so that they have options. The power is in their hands and they can truly make informed decisions about their birth.

When I was researching companies to certify with, my personal childbirth education instructor recommended Birth Boot Camp. After looking at the program, it seemed like the perfect fit! I also love that we cover EVERYTHING in these classes. You will walk away with knowledge of pregnancy exercise and nutrition, relaxation techniques, comfort measures, the pros and cons of interventions, stages of labor, newborn procedures, the postpartum period, newborn care, and so much more!

I love that we provide the tools for your toolbox so that you can customize your birth experience. I have always said that every pregnant woman needs a Birth Boot Camp class. Even if you are the mom who wants an epidural in the parking lot, you will still need all of this knowledge so that you can make truly informed decisions!

Tell us a little about your Birth Boot Camp training experience. Where did you train? What did you like about it?

I attended Birth Boot Camp instructor training in October 2013 in Grapevine, TX. It was a wonderful experience! I loved meeting women from all over the country who shared the same passion for birth. I learned so much during the training and we had so much fun. It didn’t feel like work at all!

My husband and daughter came along and had some great bonding time. My husband loved it so much that he is already looking forward to our Birth Boot Camp instructor conference in 2015!

How is teaching your own childbirth classes going for you? What do you enjoy most about it?

I have absolutely loved teaching each class! From multiple couples to private classes, I love getting to know the moms and dads. It is so wonderful to see them working together to achieve their personal birth goals. So far, I’ve had hospital births, birth center births, and home births. Every one has been awesome and I love hearing the birth stories at our reunion!

In what ways did the Birth Boot Camp teacher training help prepare you for teaching actual childbirth classes?

Even though I had learned so much about birth and the curriculum before training, I was still nervous to actually teach. I had previously been a kindergarten teacher, but there is something totally different about teaching adults. We received numerous helpful tips from Donna and Sarah which gave me ideas I wouldn’t have thought of on my own. We also taught a specific topic to the group. That helped get rid of a lot of my anxiety and I received constructive feedback. I still get a little nervous before the first class of each series, but once I meet my couples and we dive in, I absolutely love it! I’m always so amped up after each class is over!

Tell us a little about your students. How do you believe childbirth education is having a positive impact on them?

In each of my classes to date, I have had moms of 1-2 children. Each one of them has been unhappy with aspects of their previous births which is what originally led them to Birth Boot Camp. I have loved watching these couples use the tools they learned to have the birth they’ve always wanted. I recently had a mom with two previous cesareans. She had never birthed a baby vaginally. With the knowledge she gained from Birth Boot Camp, plus an amazing support team of doulas and midwives, she rocked out her VBA2C like it was nobody’s business!

When moms and dads have the knowledge of evidence based practices and their tools for how to cope with labor, they are empowered and end up with great experiences. Even if things don’t go the way they thought, these couples usually still end up feeling good about the birth because they were able to make informed decisions about their care.

To close, tell us how you see natural childbirth education having a positive impact? Why does this work matter to you?

I am very blessed to live in a large community of birth professionals here in Dallas/Fort Worth. I am constantly seeing a positive change because more women are demanding a better standard of care. I love sharing this information with women because it might just mean the difference between a vaginal birth and a cesarean. Knowledge is power and I see the results of that all the time!

Today we have a guest post from Lauren Rauseo. A mother of three and author of the recently published book, "Natural Birth for the Mainstream Mama," we are excited to share her thoughts on some basic things that can help you have an amazing natural birth in a hospital. Her book just happens to mention us as a possible childbirth education option and we couldn't be more pleased! As you can see, she gives some great advice for getting the birth you want in the hospital, and she manages to do it in a funny, approachable and readable manner. Check out a review of Lauren's book here and find it on Amazon.

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So you are planning a natural birth. Youimagine dimmed lighting and quiet music as you labor, and a peaceful entrance for your baby. The thought of monitors, drugs and a doctor shouting, “Push!” at your va-jay-jaygives you the heebie-jeebies.Maybe you don’t see yourself popping this kid out on your living room sofa, but you long for a more home-like experience.

While the hospital offers comfort that you’re in the right place in the event of an emergency, it also brings a few challenges when preparingfor an intervention-free birth. Follow these five tips so that you achieve your goalto go aunaturale at the hospital.

1. Choose your hospital and care provider wisely.

This is, hands-down, the most important piece of advice you’ll get. Even if you’ve been with your OB/GYN since you got your first period, you need to interview him like you two just met. What is his C-section rate? What were the reasons for his last 10 surgical births? And since you never know who will be on call on the big day, are the other providers in the practice aligned philosophically? Don’t forget to find out what the hospital policies are as well. How long can your water be broken before the baby needs to be born? Are you allowed freedom of movement during labor? Are different positions encouraged for pushing? What are the monitoring requirements for a low-risk delivery?

Listen to not only what he is saying, but also how he is saying it. If your hunch is that he is not supportive of natural birth, then he probably isn’t.Even if your due date is close, it’s never too late to find a care provider that’s more in linewithyour birth plan. Consider switching to a midwife. Her expertise lies in trusting a woman’s body to do what it was physiologically designed to do, and not looking for crisis at every turn (but don’t worry; she can recognize warning signs when there is something that requires attention).

If your care provider truly believes in your body’s ability, your natural birth has a much better chance of happening. Your job is to find that care provider.

2. Assemble a supportive team.

Now that you have the right medical crew lined up, you can rest assured that you won’t be offered interventions during your birth unless it’s absolutely necessary. (Half the battle has been won already!) But that doesn’t mean you won’t be asking for an epidural yourself when you’ve been in labor for 24 hours and you’re only 4 centimeters dilated.

That’s why you need your birth peeps cheering you on! First, make sure your partner in life is on board with all this natural jazz from the get-go.You both need to see eye-to-eye on your goals, and he’ll need to stand strong as your advocate that day.

But maybe even more important will be your doula, or labor coach. She’s a non-medical birth professional who actually knows what she’s doing and how to be helpful to you in your time of need. She’s seen a lot of these natural births go down, so she’llknow when it’s time to go to the hospital, how much counter pressure to apply to your hips, and why getting on all foursmay help baby into a better position.

3. Make a commitment.

Have you ever said you’re going to decide whether you’ll get up early to exercise when your alarm goes off? How often does that strategy work? I’m guessing never. You must commit to your decision and eliminate the option to hit snooze.Likewise, when someone asks you if you’re going to have a natural birth, your answer should be simply, “Yes.” If yours is, “Well, I’m going to see how it goes,” then you have commitment work to do. You need to walk into this adventure with 100 percent confidence that you will do it.

Repeat after me. “My body was made to birth this baby. It will be hard, but I trust this process. I am about to have the best day ever!”

4. Retrain your brain.

Maybe you’re afraid of committing to this because you are terrified of birth! This isn’t surprising. You’ve been trained to be afraid of this event your entire life. How many times have you heard, “Childbirth is awesome! You’re going to love it!”?Zero. Mostly, you’ve been listening to women regale horror stories,and you’ve been watching ridiculous TV that exaggerates the risks and hyperbolizes the pain of childbirth in the name of ratings. You need to stop all that crap. Immediately.

Instead, surround yourself with women who have positive birth stories to share. There are plenty out there! Common themes will include a supportive midwife, an inspirational doula, lots of movement, infrequent (or no) cervical checks, intermittent monitoring, mother-led pushing, immediate skin-to-skin with baby, and overall, an environment where the mother’s voice was heard and respected.

Go places where there are others who are also preparing themselves for an empowering birth. Try a natural-focused childbirth class, and stay away from hospital-based classes, as those will likely center on risks and interventions. Read natural birth blogs and follow them on social media for constant bursts of inspiration.Once you’re in the right frame of mind, it’s easy to commit to your goal. Don’t fear for this birth; get excited for it!

5. Be patient and relax.

Patience begins while you’re still pregnant. Perhaps 41 weeks pregnant. Remember, your baby knows when to be born. Once labor does begin, trust me, you’ll be glad you refined this skill. Your doula will use comfort measures to help you duringlabor. Maybe she’ll rub your back, let you squeeze her hand, or read birth affirmations aloud. But none of that will help if you’re tense and working against your contractions. In order for your cervix to open, you need to totally let go and release the tension from your body. Think savasana at the end of a yoga class times a hundred; that’s how relaxed you should be. Practice often so that you’ll be able to bring yourself into relaxation more easily on the big day.

Each contraction only lasts one minute or less, even during the hardest part. And I know you can do anything for one minute.Never think about how much longer you have to go. Just breathe into this one contraction you’re having right now.

So there you have it! Are you ready to rock this natural hospital birth? Remember, every moment of this journey is fleeting, and each minute that goes by brings you one step closer to the prize: Your baby. Come on now, you got this.

Liv and Fiona. Her favorite things are going for walks with the kids to collect "treasures" and singing in the car, and she isn't afraid to admit that Starbucks, manicures, wine and yoga make the list too. Now that she’s done birthing her own brood, she has moved on to sharing her enthusiasm for natural birth with others through her book, "Natural Birth for the Mainstream Mama: A practical guide to achieving a drug-free birth in a hospital setting", available on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Natural-Birth-Mainstream-Mama-practical/dp/1494415321). You can follow Lauren at www.facebook.com/MainstreamMama.

Birth Boot Camp now has over 100 instructors spanning from coast to coast in the United States and a couple in other countries (and more to come!) We simply adore our birth instructors and are so glad they have taken this leap with us to help make birth better through education. Because there are so many of them now we are eager to introduce them to you! Our instructors are diverse in every way imaginable but have one thing in common- they were changed by birth and they want to share that power with you. Our birth teachers know that YOU can have an amazing birth. They know it.

Today I am pleased to introduce you to Shazia Lackey, one of our very first certifying birth teachers. She teaches birth classes in Arlington, TX. Below is an interview with this amazing woman. Check her out!

First, could you introduce yourself? Tell us a little bit about your own birth experiences and how they influenced your desire to teach birth classes.

Hi! I'm Shazia Lackey. I have one son and am currently pregnant with my second. I had my first baby in 2011 with the help of a Certified Nurse Midwife (CNM). It was a great birth experience that set me up for an easy postpartum recovery. I also successfully nursed my son until he was 23 months. I know that my unmedicated birth set us up for breastfeeding success! Not to mention my son and I being healthy and complication-free, my birth was incredibly empowering! I knew I wanted to help other moms achieve that experience with their own births!

What first got you interested in the realm of birth?

I have been a registered nurse since 2008. I was fortunate that I had amazing instructors at the University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing. One of my professors was even a CNM! I learned so much about evidence based birth practices during my time in nursing school that I knew it was the best option for me and my baby. My husband and I prepared for a natural birth by taking a comprehensive birth class. I was empowered by my own birth experience and I wanted to help other couples with their journey preparing for birth!

What are your particular passions concerning birth?

I am passionate about giving moms and dads all of the information that they need so they can make their own decisions to ensure the best birth possible. I also love that couples who prepare and plan for a natural birth are more likely to be successful meeting their breastfeeding goals. I am a huge breastfeeding advocate. I nursed my son for 23 months and have served on the lactation committee at a local pediatric hospital for the last 2 years. I have the privilege in my nursing career of helping other moms nurse their babies as a breastfeeding resource nurse for my department at work. I also am beginning to help lead a local mom to mom breastfeeding support group! I utilize this passion to help each and every one of my Birth Boot Camp students succeed with breastfeeding.

There are lots of different birth educator training programs out there. Why did you choose Birth Boot Camp?

Birth Boot Camp covers EVERYTHING! While my husband and I were well prepared for birth, I do feel that we missed out on some crucial information during our comprehensive birth class. I love that Birth Boot Camp also covers pregnancy, breastfeeding, postpartum, and newborn care. I also love the up-to-date and modern material we use to teach Birth Boot Camp curriculum.

Tell us a little about your Birth Boot Camp training experience. Where did you train? What did you like about it?

I trained to become a Birth Boot Camp instructor in April 2013 in Texas. I loved getting extensive information to help me teach my classes and be successful as an instructor. I also loved getting to network with other birth professionals from all over!

How is teaching your own classes going for you? What do you enjoy most about it?

I have been teaching for a little over a year now and am currently teaching my 5th class series. I love it! I love getting to know each couple during the 10 week series and especially love hearing about their great birth experiences! Many of my students have stayed in touch and I enjoy seeing their babies grow and helping moms with breastfeeding and newborn care!

In what ways did the Birth Boot Camp teacher training help prepare you for teaching actual classes?

I loved that I met moms at instructor training who have had all types of birth experiences! It was so helpful to hear their stories. I take much of what I learned from them and incorporate that into my teaching. For example, I haven't had a home birth myself, but through the experiences of other instructors, I can confidently prepare my students who are planning a home birth.

Tell us a little about your students. How do you believe childbirth education is having a positive impact on them?

I have taught 17 couples since I became certified last year. I have seen first time moms achieve amazing, empowering birth experiences. I have seen second or third time moms finally get the birth experience they deserve! I have even seen moms who have had complications during birth and were well-prepared to handle them and still went on to have a great birth!

One of my second time moms was adamant about having a better birth this time around and her husband was totally not on board. He came to class each week but rolled his eyes and even fell asleep a few times! She ended up having an amazing birth experience! At our class reunion, her husband was a completely changed man! I have seen women be moved and changed from their birth experience, but never a dad! It was amazing. He spoke about her birth experience with such passion. He admitted that he was totally skeptical going in to birth and afterwards said he tells all of his friends and coworkers with pregnant wives to take Birth Boot Camp! He was especially impressed with his wife's postpartum recovery. He said it was amazing how much faster she bounced back after her birth than the first time. He also said he felt he bonded instantly with this baby that he attributes to being involved in the birth instead of sitting on the sidelines the first time around.

To close, tell us how you see natural childbirth education having a positive impact? Why does this work matter to you?

Our maternity care in the United States is suffering! Many women believe that all of the interventions are "necessary" and birth is painful and awful. I have encountered many women who have thought I was completely nuts for telling them my birth was amazing and their birth can be too. Natural childbirth education is not only preparing moms and dads to achieve a natural birth, but also to empower and encourage other women around them to do the same!

Yes, you heard that right: we have completely updated our online classes! We loved the original birth classes featuring Donna Ryan, but felt it was time to mix things up. Our online childbirth classes are not just a few handouts that you print off yourself with some articles to read, they are literally HOURS of streaming video with a beautiful workbook included. By the time you are done, you will feel as though you know your instructors! Read more